Week commencing 09.08.10

Week Commencing 09.08.10
Monday 9.08.10 – Very windy here today, I cooked some piklets and we shared morning tea with Trish and Kerry. Yummy. We went to a drive up to the Point where we saw some pelicans on the shore. We walked along the beach and rocks. This is our last day at Port Smith. Back at camp we started preparing the van for departure the next morning. At 5pm we went to the BBQ area to listen to the Bush Poet, he was fantastic, we bought one of his CD’s. Finished the evening with a few drinks at Kerry’s van joined by other folks. It was a nice end to our stay at Port Smith.

Tuesday 10.08.10 – Up early and finish packing up we leave camp around 9.30 (early for us) we have about 200kms to Eighty Mile Beach. We are lucky and get a powered sight. Settle in and I head to the beach. Here in the Kimberley they have huge tides. The water is miles out so I walk along the beach collecting shells. We then have lunch and go for a drive along the beach. As there is no internet service we try the one at the shop. Terrible, so slow and we only got to read a few emails, so no contact until we get to Port Headland. Eighty Mile Beach caravan park is not what it used to be. They had a big cyclone here last year and lost all there palm trees. They have a photo board in the shop and it is just amazing. John set up his Foxtel and had it within 5 mins (this is a record). I have hurt my shoulder this afternoon washing the floor of the van. Not too bad but it gave me a scare and I thought of New Zealand.
Wednesday 11.08.10 – Had a good night’s sleep and have woken to a very windy day. Am doing some washing before we head down to the beach to try and do some fishing. John has been over the road helping an old mate with this Foxtel, seems he is the expert in the park. We went for drive along the beach to collect some shells. We could not believe how far the tide was out, amazing. For some reason I started to feel unwell and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening on the loo. No dinner for me tonight.
History of Pardoo Station
Pardoo was originally established as an outstation of De Grey Station, when Padbury took stock north to De Grey in the 1860’s. He later abandoned the area and itwas then taken up by AE Anderson, Harper and Grant in 1869. Later Harper was replaced by Edgar.
Another change was to come about when the Pardoo section was sold off in 1902 to Frank Snellgove Thompson, Medcalf and Rounsville. They were all bought out by Thompson in 1904.
In 1912 Thompson left the station in the hands of managers until his son returned from the war in 1919. He then took over the running of Pardoo. Frank Finlayson Thompson married in 1925 and Pardoo was to stay in the family until sold in 1963
The Schubert family brought Pardoo on 7 May 1963 and then later sold to Kari Stein on 7 March 1967. Russell and Gillian Peake brought Pardoo in 1973 and then later sold to the Brown familyin 1986. In December 1991 John and Pam Leeds brought Pardoo and later sold to Graeme and Judy Rogers in 2005. Graeme and Judy Rogers are still the current owners.
In 1902 Pardoo consisted of 414,750 acres and now with additional land acquired, it measures 500,000 acres or 199,000 hectares. Pardoo stretches approx 80km along the coastline and includes tidal creeks and small islands off the coast.
Pardoo Homestead as with De Grey homestead was close to the port of Condon, which flourished from 1872 to the early 1900’s when Port Headland was established as the main port for the Pilbara. Condon is now abandoned.
The Pardoo Homestead was extended by the Thompson Family in 1936. The site for the buildings is significan t as one of the early stations to develop from the De Grey Run.
Of the collection of buildings the homestead and the shearing shed are the most significant. The homestead is typical of a Pilbara plan type. It has a central “core” containing small numbers of large rooms, no passages and no formal entry or entry hall. It is completely surrounded by verandahs and all under a steeply pitched hip roof. The kitchen block is separate.
The Homestead walls are mode of concrete and stone and are approx 450mm thick. The verandahs have tee section posts,the steel of which bears the trademark “Frodingham England” into the sections fitted to the top hung cyclone shutters. The ceiling height is 3670mm (asft) and comes down to 2140 (7ft) at the edge of the verandahs. Adjacent to the kitchen block is a store saddle room structure which is made of corrugated galvanized iron walls with framing of leightweight railway lines from the Port Headland to Marble Bar Railway. The roof is clear span corrugated galvanized iron vault of some 3m.
Pardoo consists of mostly very flat, grassy plains and numerous species of Spinifex. Soft Spinifex being looked upon as the best drought-resisting feed for stock. Pardoo in early times ran sheep plus a small mob of breading mares. Camels were used in the running of the station.
Now Pardoo is a cattle station running mainly Santa Gertrudis cattle. There are approx 6,000 cattle on the station at present.
The Rabbit Proof Fence was completed in 1907 and ends on Pardoo at Cape Keraundren where a stone wall was built out to sea to stop the rabbits coming around the fence. Cape Keraundren was taken out of the Pardoo lease in 1983 to give the public access to the coast.
Pardoo has a substantial water supply with the Canning Artesian Basin situated below the lease. There are a number of Artesian Bores which were established by Wapet in 1955. The most significant being the Homestead water supply, it is 90m deep and water is constantly supplied to the Homestead and Homestead gardens.
Thursday 12.08.10 – Feeling much better this morning, so up early and packed up for our trip to Pardoo Station Stay. We had yet another red dirt road – 13kms into Pardoo. We found a nice spot to set up and then headed onto the Station roads to check things out. Lots of catter, brolgas and lots of dirt, dust. We first headed to Pardoo Creek, the tide was out so all we saw was mud, not very appealing. We noticed some young guys had walked along the creek bed and we assume they were going crabbing. We then drove out to Red Point and Banningarra Creek. Unfortunately it seems we are here at the wrong tides, unable to get to Lighthouse Island or Bake Bean Creek. We drove as far as we could but the surface was very muddy so we decided to turn around. You need to open and close each gate and the cattle have right away, they just walk across the road and you sit and wait until they move.
Friday 13.08.10 - Not well again today, went fishing with John but just sat in the chair and read. No luck with the fish, still very windy here. Spent the afternoon in bed sleeping.
Saturday 14.08.10 – Woke feeling much better today. We decided to stay today and do some jobs before we move onto Port Headland. Spent day doing the washing, cut Johnny’s hair and he dyed my locks. John watching the races and football and I am catching up with some updates. We are going to the Pardoo Station Restaurant for dinner tonight. They tell us it is well worth a visit.